This summer is shaping up to be a few months of immersion in horses.
The first weekend in June - AKA, immediately before finals - I am signed up for an eventing derby clinic on Friday, followed by the actual derby on Saturday. Derbies, if you'll recall from my post from last month, are a dressage test followed by a Stadium Jumping/Cross Country mix in a field. This will be our next eventing competition (other than the Hunter Pace I'm riding in tomorrow), and our second visit to Inavale. I'm excited to put all of our hard work to the test.
For five days, June 17 - 21, I will be at a Pony Club eventing camp down in Ashland. Talk about total immersion! Two riding sessions plus a horse management lesson per day. We will cover everything: dressage, gridwork, XC fences, roads & tracks (steeplechase/galloping), pacing, conditioning in general, care of your horse after riding, etc. I think after five days of that kind of intensity, two things will happen: one, I will be VERY ready for a break. And two, Pandora and I will have taken a big leap forward in our skill set!
After four short days to relax, I will be heading to the Inavale recognized HT. I will not be riding in it - that would be a lot to ask of Pandora, not to mention my checkbook - but I will be grooming for a friend. I am looking forward to getting the experience, learning how a recognized HT works, and getting a feel for the pacing and things. That way next year I will be more prepared when I ride in it!
Two weeks later, I will head off to the Inavale eventing camp for 3 days. This is the camp I had so much fun at last summer until I broke my ankle. Much of the same - two lessons a day, one SJ or dressage and one XC. At this camp, I am hoping to push my comfort levels, learn how to do some bigger and more complicated questions, and in general start taking us to the next level.
THEN, two weeks after that camp, I will head to a Pony Club Mega-Rating. I was really hoping to get my D3 at the club level so I could go for my C1 at this rating -- after all, I'll be coming off of two solid months of intense riding -- but the DC of my club doesn't sound like she wants to do that. It's frustrating for me and I will try to see what I can do, but I may be forced to get my D3 at this Mega-Rating and then go for my C1 in September. That is not as ideal because by September I'm already starting to wind down my riding in preparation for school, but you take what you can get, I guess. My Pony Club is pretty darn good, so I shouldn't complain.
As you can see, it's going to be an awesome summer jam-packed with eventing. Entering all these things sure sucked up a lot of money, but to me it's better to pay $200 for a five-day camp than to pay $200 for one show, which is what it would have cost to enter the Horse Trials.
I also plan to do plenty of low-cost rides, especially trail riding. And maybe sometime this summer I can figure out a way to take Pandora to the coast for a beach ride :)
Got any summer plans?
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A Wee Update
1 month ago
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We're getting our show schedule in order slowly, as well as the groups that are going to drive out together so we don't have to drive out alone.
I'm actually bringing my horse home from the training barn. We're going to spend the summer trail riding and having fun before we have to head to college and ride in an indoor for 9 months. Still, it will be fun to have my young girl by the park again so that I'm not constantly asking my old mare to take me out on rides with people mounted much younger, energized horses.
Well you know my summer plans!
Your summer sounds a lot like mine - mega busy and mega horsey. And you know we wouldn't have it any other way!
Summer plans! Yikes!
1. My house is closing on Thursday.
2. First week of June is fencing, house fixing, etc. so I can move my two fur balls out there.
3. Second week of June is getting all the animals moved so the house here can get painted and the floors refinished.
4. Finish my summer classes, including passing the two CLEP exams, so I can get my second degree.
5. Real school starts the first week of August (OMG).
Sounds like everyone has a busy summer..make sure you all take a little time for a break! ;)
My schedule is set up perfectly. School starts at the end of September, and I usually lose my enthusiasm for horses during fall term since I'm so busy...then, right around January, I get all excited again. So Pandora gets 2 - 3 months of relaxed, casual riding, then we start to rev things up again.
Wolfandterriers, you sound like you're going to be all kinds of busy! What's your second degree going to be in?
I am so busy this summer I think I might only make it to two shows for sure.
On another note: The post about the bucket spooking. I did a case study not long ago for my behaviour course in University and it may be the bucket colour. I proved that some horses do not drink as much as they would like due to the colour of the bucket. If they can't see the bottom some will spook or not drink as much. I did a 1 month study on it changing buckets, filling them with different temperature water, putting applejuice in dark buckets etc but all drank little bits more often rather than a big gulp every few hours.
Try giving her a yellow or if possible, white bucket.
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